Comment is free + Epilepsy | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/commentisfree+society/epilepsy
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Epilepsy: let's end our ignorance of this&nbsp;neglected condition | Observer editorialhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/09/epilepsy-end-ignorance-observer-editorial
Given that Britain is home to 600,000 sufferers, the stigma still surrounding epilepsy is shameful<p>Helen Stephens is a young woman with epilepsy and a great deal of courage. She is in a new <a href="https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/news/news/%E2%80%98helen%E2%80%99s-story%E2%80%99-raises-epilepsy-awareness-63820" title="">photographic project</a> to raise awareness of this serious neurological condition. She has allowed her former boyfriend, professional photographer Matt Thompson, to take a series of portraits of herself when she is having a major seizure and when she is &quot;zoning out&quot; in a number of &quot;little seizures&quot;.</p><p>&quot;Now I finally see why my friends and family have called me Space Cadet and Dolly Day Dream,&quot; she writes poignantly in a commentary that accompanies the photographs, as she comes &quot;face to face with a massive unseen part of me&quot;. Helen was diagnosed when she was 19. &quot;I wonder how different things would be now if I'd been diagnosed when I was a child,&quot; she asks. Her aim, she says, in the <em>Observer</em> today, is &quot;to explain the emotional side&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/09/epilepsy-end-ignorance-observer-editorial">Continue reading...</a>EpilepsyUK newsHealthHealth & wellbeingSun, 09 Mar 2014 00:06:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/09/epilepsy-end-ignorance-observer-editorialFrank Baron/GuardianGreat Ormond Street hospital's brain scan device for children with epilepsy.
Photograph: Frank Baron for the GuardianFrank Baron/GuardianGreat Ormond Street hospital's brain scan device for children with epilepsy.
Photograph: Frank Baron for the GuardianObserver editorial2014-03-09T00:06:05ZMedical marijuana could save my daughter's life | Margaret Storeyhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/25/medical-marijuana-could-save-my-child
My child doesn't want to get high, she wants to get better. She can't do that while weed remains criminalized in most of the US<p>My 10-year-old daughter has big blue eyes and is a serious fan of the Chicago Blackhawks. She loves music, fairy tales, and driving under city streetlights at night. She also cannot walk, talk or feed herself, thanks to the uncontrolled seizures that have resisted all attempts at treatment since she was three months old. Every day, she is at risk of <a href="http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/aboutepilepsy/healthrisks/sudep/index.cfm">SUDEP</a>, or Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy.</p><p>Just in the last year, something truly promising has appeared on the horizon for her and other children with severe and debilitating seizure disorders: a unique strain of marijuana that has been found to dramatically reduce life-threatening symptoms that often include hundreds of violent seizures a day. But because of irrationally rigid state and federal laws, it is currently only available in Colorado, where it is grown. </p><p>If I had a child who had failed 15 medications and drug treatments and there was nothing else to do, and they were having many seizures a day that were terribly disabling. I think it would be a very reasonable thing to do to try a high-CBD cannabis product.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/25/medical-marijuana-could-save-my-child">Continue reading...</a>DrugsDrugsDrugs policyMedicineChildrenHealthEpilepsyMedical researchUS newsSat, 25 Jan 2014 12:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/25/medical-marijuana-could-save-my-childDavid Mcnew/Getty ImagesA medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles displays various types of marijuana available to patients. Photograph: David Mcnew/Getty ImagesAnthony Bolante/ReutersDrugs … 'there will always be a market'. Photograph: Anthony Bolante/ReutersMargaret Storey2014-01-25T12:30:00ZKicked off the bus, for what? | Jane Faehttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/03/kicked-off-bus-epileptic-woman
The ejection of an epileptic woman may be the tip of an iceberg. Bus operators must make standards clear to drivers and public<p>A young woman, 19, is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09/27/jess-mcgee-epilepsy-ordered-off-bus-driver-pisstake_n_1918578.html" title="">refused entry to a bus</a>. Her crime? She carries a pass entitling her to free travel, as she suffers from epilepsy. But this, the bus driver declares, is just a &quot;piss-take&quot;. She must pay up or leave.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/03/kicked-off-bus-epileptic-woman">Continue reading...</a>TransportEpilepsyDisabilitySocietyUK newsWed, 03 Oct 2012 08:00:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/03/kicked-off-bus-epileptic-womanAndrew Drysdale/REX FEATURES/Andrew Drysdale/REX FEATURES'A few passengers might get uppity, but sadly the majority just put up and shut up.' Photograph: Andrew Drysdale/REX FEATURESAndrew Drysdale/REX FEATURES/Andrew Drysdale/REX FEATURES'A few passengers might get uppity, but sadly the majority just put up and shut up.' Photograph: Andrew Drysdale/REX FEATURESJane Fae2012-10-03T08:00:03ZWhen dying for your art is all part of the spectacle | Ruth Collinshttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/25/dying-for-your-art-part-of-the-spectacle
The goring of a matador in a Madrid bullring last week reinforces why danger makes extreme sport and adventure so compelling<p>&quot;It is amazing what some people will do in the name of their craft,&quot; I thought to myself last Friday as I was confronted with graphic images of Spanish matador Julio Aparicio <a href="http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/Julio/Aparicio/ha/salido/segundo/toro/elpepucul/20100523elpepucul_1/Tes" title="El Pais: Julio Aparicio: " cmo="" ha="" salido="" mi="" segundo="" toro?""="">being gored in the neck</a> at Madrid's <a href="http://www.las-ventas.com/" title="Las Ventas">Las Ventas</a> bullring.</p><p>Animal rights issues surrounding bullfighting aside, the nature of Aparicio's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/22/julio-aparicio-gored-in-t_n_585941.html" title="Huffington Post: Julio Aparicio GORED IN THROAT During Bullfight (GRAPHIC PHOTOS) ">injuries</a> not only serves to remind us how brutal this activity can be for the men and women involved, but also questions the motivation behind such dangerous activities – whether they be considered a sport, an art form, or simply an attention-grabbing venture in which people willingly place their lives in jeopardy.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/25/dying-for-your-art-part-of-the-spectacle">Continue reading...</a>SpainWorld newsAnimal welfareMount EverestEpilepsyEuropeTue, 25 May 2010 12:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/25/dying-for-your-art-part-of-the-spectacleHidemi Kanezuka/Getty ImagesThe danger inherent in bullfighting and extreme sports is often what makes them so compelling to take part in – and watch. Photograph: Hidemi Kanezuka/Getty ImagesHidemi Kanezuka/Getty ImagesThe Spanish Animal Rights Association has persuaded the regional government of Catalonia to debate a ban on bullfighting. Photograph: Hidemi Kanezuka/Getty ImagesRuth Collins2010-05-25T12:00:04Z